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154
this information to the committee on Gore’s
behalf. 125
Fully intending to act in their
“ elected” capacity as members of the
Committee of Twenty- Five to enact the
resolutions of the Declaration, Waddell’s
committee had also worked to persuade
Mayor Silas P. Wright and his
administration to vacate their posts. Frank
Stedman and Charles Worth were selected
from the committee to find Wright, the
aldermen, and Chief of Police Melton and
encourage them to submit their resignations.
Wright, in the face of overpowering
intimidation in city hall and armed conflict
in the streets, disliked resigning under such
pressure but agreed to do so. Melton also
agreed to resign if he were given the
remainder of his salary as police chief. 126
Waddell’s committee considered
their options and selected a group of men
who would be representatives of their wards
and elected to the Board of Alderman should
the resignations eventuate. As a group, the
committee went to city hall around three
o’clock to meet with the existing members
who had been called to city hall for a special
meeting at 4: 00 P. M. by various
representatives of the committee, Gore, or
Chadbourn. One by one, the old board
resigned and voted to approve the entry of a
new member to the board so that the old
board was phased out into the new. 127 The
last to resign was Mayor Wright because he
saw that “ the business men had expressed
125 Contested Election Case, 249.
126 McDuffie, “ Politics in Wilmington,” 698- 699;
Wilmington Messenger, November 17, 1898.
127 Bellamy testified that the transition was “ done
decently and in order without any friction and under
the advice of the most learned lawyers of the city.” A
few resignations were secured from Aldermen after
the meeting and their replacements were similarly
elected and sworn in. Contested Election Case, 20-
21, 249; Keith, Memories, 112; Minutes of the
Wilmington Board of Aldermen, State Archives,
North Carolina Office of Archives and History,
Raleigh.
dissatisfaction” with his administration and
had requested that he step down. Wright
subsequently was replaced with Waddell,
who was unanimously elected by the new
board. 128
One of the black aldermen forced to
resign was John G. Norwood, who had been
appointed by the governor to his position to
represent the Second Ward during the
restructuring of the city’s charter in 1897.
Norwood was told by the city clerk and
treasurer to report at 4: 00 to the city’s
offices on the afternoon of the rioting. Upon
his arrival at city hall, Norwood was met by
other members of the Wright administration.
As they began their meeting, two vacancies
on the board were filled by C. H. Ganzer for
the Fifth Ward and H. P. West for the
Second Ward. 129 Other members of the
Wright administration were also compelled
to resign, including Chief of Police Melton,
resigning after a private conversation with
Rountree, who advised Melton to step down
because he couldn’t guarantee Melton’s
safety otherwise. Melton recalled that there
128 The new board consisted of C. H. Ganzier and
Rev. J. W. Kramer from the First Ward, H. P. West
and William H. Sprunt from the Second Ward, Hugh
MacRae and J. Allan Taylor of the Third Ward,
Charles W. Worth, Preston L. Bridgers from the
Fourth Ward, and B. Frank King and A. B. Skelding
from the Fifth Ward. Edgar Parmele was selected to
replace Melton as chief of police by Waddell’s board
and M. F. Heiskel Gouvenier was named assistant
chief of police. John J. Furlong, member of the
machine gun squad, was promoted to police captain.
The Wilmington Dispatch of November 10, 1898
went to press while shots were still being fired and
the coup was taking place. The paper threw support
behind Waddell for mayor: “ In selecting a man for
the chief executive of the city, let the committee not
forget the services of our most tried and true citizen;
the man who led the citizens this morning and
avenged their honor; the man who will have good
government and peace or blood— Alfred Moore
Waddell.” Hayden, WLI, 100; Rountree,
“ Memorandum;” James Cowan, “ The Wilmington
Race Riot;” Wilmington Messenger November 10,
11,1898.
129 Contested Election Case, 20- 21.

154
this information to the committee on Gore’s
behalf. 125
Fully intending to act in their
“ elected” capacity as members of the
Committee of Twenty- Five to enact the
resolutions of the Declaration, Waddell’s
committee had also worked to persuade
Mayor Silas P. Wright and his
administration to vacate their posts. Frank
Stedman and Charles Worth were selected
from the committee to find Wright, the
aldermen, and Chief of Police Melton and
encourage them to submit their resignations.
Wright, in the face of overpowering
intimidation in city hall and armed conflict
in the streets, disliked resigning under such
pressure but agreed to do so. Melton also
agreed to resign if he were given the
remainder of his salary as police chief. 126
Waddell’s committee considered
their options and selected a group of men
who would be representatives of their wards
and elected to the Board of Alderman should
the resignations eventuate. As a group, the
committee went to city hall around three
o’clock to meet with the existing members
who had been called to city hall for a special
meeting at 4: 00 P. M. by various
representatives of the committee, Gore, or
Chadbourn. One by one, the old board
resigned and voted to approve the entry of a
new member to the board so that the old
board was phased out into the new. 127 The
last to resign was Mayor Wright because he
saw that “ the business men had expressed
125 Contested Election Case, 249.
126 McDuffie, “ Politics in Wilmington,” 698- 699;
Wilmington Messenger, November 17, 1898.
127 Bellamy testified that the transition was “ done
decently and in order without any friction and under
the advice of the most learned lawyers of the city.” A
few resignations were secured from Aldermen after
the meeting and their replacements were similarly
elected and sworn in. Contested Election Case, 20-
21, 249; Keith, Memories, 112; Minutes of the
Wilmington Board of Aldermen, State Archives,
North Carolina Office of Archives and History,
Raleigh.
dissatisfaction” with his administration and
had requested that he step down. Wright
subsequently was replaced with Waddell,
who was unanimously elected by the new
board. 128
One of the black aldermen forced to
resign was John G. Norwood, who had been
appointed by the governor to his position to
represent the Second Ward during the
restructuring of the city’s charter in 1897.
Norwood was told by the city clerk and
treasurer to report at 4: 00 to the city’s
offices on the afternoon of the rioting. Upon
his arrival at city hall, Norwood was met by
other members of the Wright administration.
As they began their meeting, two vacancies
on the board were filled by C. H. Ganzer for
the Fifth Ward and H. P. West for the
Second Ward. 129 Other members of the
Wright administration were also compelled
to resign, including Chief of Police Melton,
resigning after a private conversation with
Rountree, who advised Melton to step down
because he couldn’t guarantee Melton’s
safety otherwise. Melton recalled that there
128 The new board consisted of C. H. Ganzier and
Rev. J. W. Kramer from the First Ward, H. P. West
and William H. Sprunt from the Second Ward, Hugh
MacRae and J. Allan Taylor of the Third Ward,
Charles W. Worth, Preston L. Bridgers from the
Fourth Ward, and B. Frank King and A. B. Skelding
from the Fifth Ward. Edgar Parmele was selected to
replace Melton as chief of police by Waddell’s board
and M. F. Heiskel Gouvenier was named assistant
chief of police. John J. Furlong, member of the
machine gun squad, was promoted to police captain.
The Wilmington Dispatch of November 10, 1898
went to press while shots were still being fired and
the coup was taking place. The paper threw support
behind Waddell for mayor: “ In selecting a man for
the chief executive of the city, let the committee not
forget the services of our most tried and true citizen;
the man who led the citizens this morning and
avenged their honor; the man who will have good
government and peace or blood— Alfred Moore
Waddell.” Hayden, WLI, 100; Rountree,
“ Memorandum;” James Cowan, “ The Wilmington
Race Riot;” Wilmington Messenger November 10,
11,1898.
129 Contested Election Case, 20- 21.